Opening the blue bag each week felt like unwrapping a Christmas gift, except instead of an iPhone or a new pair of socks, it could be an alien/UFO-looking vegetable called kohlrabi.
The Community Supported Agriculture experience our family had provided a way to not only be surprised each Wednesday but to support local farmers in our area. Wenninghoff Farm has been the premier CSA option for Omaha and surrounding communities since 1956. Customers support the farm by pre-paying for produce before the seed is planted. This allows the farmer the means to buy the seed. In exchange, the farmer’s produce gets distributed to the members who helped with the initial cost of planting. It’s kind of like having your own garden…without doing the work!
The 15-week program started off with a bang early in the summer. The first bag contained bok choy, a vegetable that I didn’t know existed right until then. The week after that, kohlrabi. Learning how to prepare and find recipes that incorporated these ingredients was challenging and a bit intimidating. However, these recipes made for a creative experience in the kitchen each week. Wenninghoff’s general manager, Amy Wenninghoff, echoed this point in an email interview.
“You can’t please all customers (some like kale, some hate it!),” she wrote. “But you try to do a diverse enough list of veggies to make most of them happy.”
My family was happy. We made new soups with broccoli, sliced and diced tomatoes and cucumbers, and shared just-off-the tree peaches with my grandmother. Common produce items such as corn and green beans were easily used and, wow, they were amazingly fresh. Knowing where and how your produce is made truly made for better tasting meals. Wenninghoff wrote that sweet corn (which came in our bag by the half dozen several times) is always enjoyed by CSA patrons. Customers (also like us) learn to enjoy other vegetables during the summer too.
“I get more feedback about how they (customers) love kohlrabi and beets…having never tried them or only having beets from a can,” Wenninghoff wrote.
Joining a CSA goes beyond just the incredible taste of each item. It creates a strong sense of community and directly supports the farmers working to plant, care, and harvest their crops. With Wenninghoff Farm, every week from summer into fall customers go to their selected pickup location to grab their bags. Although there isn’t always someone else coming to pick up at the same time, when there are other CSA customers it makes for amazing conversations. Asking how they used their produce, what they think, and everything in between makes Omaha feel tighter knit.
“New experiences are always a bit scary. It’s not much money to try something new and who knows…you might love it!” Wenninghoff wrote. “ Also, you might learn what a farmer goes through to get food to the grocery store and cause a little more thankfulness for the abundance of food in America.”
All of this is why I think more of us should give CSAs a try. Not because kale suddenly became trendy again, but because local food matters. It supports farmers. It makes us adventurous eaters. And it reminds us that the simplest things, like trying a new produce item, can make a typical routined week exciting.
I picked up our last CSA farm bags this week, but it was an unforgettable summer learning that I like kale . . . and now I have recipes.
